Love Changes People

I often wonder why things have to be so complicated. Why must people always take things so personally? Why doesn’t humanity want to know who people really are and what makes them tick?

I feel that I am pretty simple. When asked a question, I answer. Not in some way that is elusive or mystical or in any way that is overly intellectual. I answer with the truth, whatever it may be, whether glamorous or not; it’s simply the truth.

The truth is, it has taken me time to get here though – living many misadventures and ill consequences that I like to call “opportunities for improvement” and others would call screw-ups. How can we learn though without messing up now and again? Some are so afraid of making mistakes, getting hurt, or things not working out as planned that they simply choose comfort and complacency. They choose never to take a risk or chance or to try something different because they cannot control the outcome. They choose to merely exist. Well, I am here for more than just my warm body to exist. There must be a reason I am here, a reason we are all here.

I have been searching for an answer, maybe to the most asked question in history – What is the meaning of life? I think I have figured it out. Yes, I know what you are thinking – ‘Whatever…this guy is nuts!’ But I think I have it. Love. When we put everything else aside, what ALL people want is to be loved and to return that love to someone else. Whether it is a husband to his wife, a father to his son, a brother to his sister, a friend to a friend, or even the hardest friend to an enemy, we all experience the desire in some way to feel love and live love out. We have all felt our hearts leap out of our chests when a special someone comes into the room or when we get a big hug from a parent, friend, or lover. We all know the feeling in our chests and stomachs when our best friend makes us laugh for twenty minutes straight. And sadly, we all know what it’s like to lose one of these amazing people and we are impacted by the loss of their love in this world – profoundly.

Love can change people. It can brighten a mood, calm a heart, and heal us. It can move mountains if wielded by the right person. It took away the sins of all men and women when it took the form of the cross.

People talk a lot about what they can do to change the world. I say love – love more and fear less. Let people into your lives and love them without limit. Lay down your own life so that they understand how to live theirs. I have decided to lay mine down and see how many will follow my lead. Could a simple thing like love solve all the world’s problems? Maybe not. But it’s a good place to start. This I believe!

Shop on Amazon and support This I Believe

We receive up to 10% of every purchase you make on Amazon through this link. So do all your shopping here and help support This I Believe!

Top 100 Essays USB Drive

This USB drive contains 100 of the top This I Believe audio broadcasts of the last ten years, plus some favorites from Edward R. Murrow's radio series of the 1950s. It's perfect for personal or classroom use! Click here to learn more.

This week’s essay

Following her grandmother’s death, Priya Chandrasekaran wondered what to do with the colorful silk saris she inherited. In deciding to make a quilt from them, Chandrasekaran believes she found a way to both honor her grandmother and create something new. Click here to read her essay.